Beyond Investigation Magazine
Beyond Investigation Magazine (BIM) is an American publication that spotlights Beyond Investigation, a group dedicated to the exploration of paranormal and conspiracy theory claims. Founded by Patrick Wheelock in 2004, Beyond Investigation was established with the mission of investigating alleged paranormal activities and publishing those investigations and related research in a periodical format. Due to the costs associated with publishing a limited circulation periodical, Beyond Investigation Magazine shifted its distribution formats to web and DVD after the first issue, which was the only one distributed in print form. In 2005, the magazine began webcasting audio programming, with the most notable show being The Pat & Brian Show.
Beyond Investigation differentiates itself from most other paranormal investigation groups in its approach. Although they have occasionally collaborated with psychics, they neither attempt to purge nor explain paranormal activity. Instead, they focus on objectively documenting and analyzing data.
The magazine has gained visibility through its features on popular media. In 2006, Beyond Investigation was showcased on an episode of Scariest Places on Earth, which documented their paranormal investigation of the USS Hornet (CV-12), a World War II U.S. Navy aircraft carrier that had been transformed into a historical museum. In 2009, the group was selected as the "employer" for Tiffany Pollard, who tried her hand as a "ghost hunter" on her VH1 reality television series New York Goes to Work.
Patrick Wheelock, the founder of Beyond Investigation, started investigating the paranormal in 1977. By 1994, he began conducting investigations with his friends, Steve Sonntag and Chris Brown. He formed Beyond Investigation in 2000, and added "Magazine" to the name in 2004. Wheelock felt that there was a lack of published, consumer-oriented, yet scientific research on the paranormal. The first edition of the magazine recapped some of the investigations done by Wheelock, Sonntag, and Brown, and introduced more recent members of the BIM team. The magazine also established a sense of self-deprecating humor, as evidenced by a cover that prominently called Brown "Chris, the scared mortician".
In 2005, BIM began using a web-based system that allowed individuals to observe and, in theory, participate in live investigations. This system is a simple chat client that also displays still captures from various video cameras connected on location. BIM also webcasts live audio from the site and displays real-time temperature data for online participants to monitor. BIM refers to an online participant as a "Virtual Paranormal Investigator", or "VPI".
In 2006, BIM conducted its first investigation of the RMS Queen Mary, with the aim of documenting and refuting some of the claims made on the Sci Fi Channel series Ghost Hunters. Following this investigation, the Queen Mary granted BIM unprecedented access to parts of the ship not normally available for such groups, and allowed BIM to conduct paranormal investigations on a regular basis. Since then, the ship and BIM have produced the paranormal exhibition called Ghost Fest Expo. In 2008, BIM hosted weekly paranormal investigations of the ship, led by Wheelock, where guests could pay to participate in the investigations.
The Pat & Brian Show is a weekly webcast talk show featuring Patrick Wheelock and Brian Patton. Their show blends irreverent insult comedy, paranormal news from around the world, listener phone calls, and interviews with guests that
Beyond Investigation Magazine (BIM) is an American publication dedicated to the exploration of paranormal and conspiracy theory claims. The entity behind the magazine, Beyond Investig